Grey haired guardian
Member
Originally Posted by Lord Mhoram
That's pretty good. I can't come up with really better without going less basic. I could leave the speed chart if i had to though and expand the characteristics comment. to the classic configuration and interaction its always had
" Its not that there are too many fools on the Earth, its that the lightning isn't distributed properly" Mark Twain
5th Ed Grognard
Senior Member
I felt that way, but after reading some on the characteristics thread, and thinking about it, I realized while I prefer to play with figured characteristics (and plan on doing so), if the game didn't have figured characteristics I wouldn't mind too much. And if COM went away, I could handle that, or if PD and ED were folded together at 2 pts and called DEF with the ability to buy it with a -1 lim for one or the other, I could handle that.
But I want at least 10 characteristic, if not the whole bundle. I hate game with 3 of them, and even D&D at 6 seems a little simplistic. I like for the greater definition of character that comes from having 14 characteristics.
You know how you play with a cat by dangling a peice of sting within his grasp, and then pull it away as he grabs for it? If the string isn't exciting and tempting the cat won't grab. But if you pull away early too many times and deny him too often, the cat gives up in frustration. The skill is in finding the sweet spot between those extremes where its fun for you and the cat.
That's what a GM's job is.
Grey haired guardian
Member
I could handle it but my gameplay would not be improved but made harder . I suppose its not absolutely core but its HERO to me.
" Its not that there are too many fools on the Earth, its that the lightning isn't distributed properly" Mark Twain
Septuple Millennial Master
Senior Member
I could handle those. It would be a PIA and feel less like "Hero" but I could handle it.
Millennial Master
Member
[post edited by poster to remove offensive posting]
…but that is just what I think.
HEROphile at large
Obsessed Member
Building a character by defining abilities / buying mechanics and the general Inversion of Control philosophy (ie, characters express their mechanics, not the other way around).
Finely grained tactically flexible (mostly) internally consistent combat engine.
Stuff to make the two work together and still allow roleplaying.
Thats pretty much the core for me.
A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked.
- John Gall
KillerShrike.com, wiki
Double Millennial Master
Member
Hero has two "cores".
One is its core philosophy: Reasoning from Effect. Essentially the rules are a toolkit designed so that any given player can design any type of character they desire. Of all things in Hero, this one thing should not change. There can be no compromise on this, or the game will cease to be HERO.
The secondary or "outer" core are its core rules/mechanics. Certain gameplay features that make Hero feel like Hero. IMO those core mechanics are:
The Characteristics. Both Primary and Figured. The amount and type of characteristics used in Hero provides the detail necessary for designing a character for any genre. Certainly, some characteristics are far less used in some genres than in others, and some characteristics that are equally useful in all genres, but this is true of any game system. As far as the figured characteristics are concerned, I believe they are a part of this core mechanic. Certainly one could divorce them from the Primary characteristics and make them stand alone (thus Primary) characteristics or force the players to purchase them as Talents or Powers. In the end they will still exist and the only thing that would be eliminated is the (incredibly simple) math in determining the characteristics initial value. In addition, imagine the chaos of inexperienced players forgettting to purchase Physical Defense or Recovery. Not pretty.
Combat Value. The concept of OCV vs DCV is absolutely brilliant. I especially like DCV. It represents the fact that combatants don't just stand there, waiting to be hit. Combat is extremely dynamic, with participants (and by-standers) moving around, ducking behind cover. Very few RPG's handle this situation properly. IMO, Hero handles it perfectly. To change this aspect of the combat system would do a great injustice to the game and its players. I'm also fairly enamored with the concept of ECV.
The Speed Chart. Anyone who recognizes me on these boards probably is well aware of how much I love the Speed Chart. When I first began to look at various RPG's to find the One True Game, how the game handles the difference in speed between various combatants was one of my biggest criteria. Once I had wrapped my mind around the Speed Chart and how it functioned, I immediately adopted Hero as my primary game system and haven't looked back since. I believe that Hero is one of a very short list of RPG's that properly handles the difference between fast and slow combatants. Sure, most RPG's allow for more attacks per round, but with very few exceptions, almost all of these game systems are extraordinarily vague on when the combatants get these extra actions. I will admit that the Speed Chart has one glaring flaw; predictability. The fact that combatants go on the same segments, every turn (unless they "hold" or lower their speed) makes the Speed Chart open to manipulation by tactically-minded gamers, but I have far less a problem with this aspect of the mechanic than others on these message boards.
Damage Mechanics. Body and Stun. Normal Damage and Killing Damage. Hit Locations and Critical Hits. Impairing and Disabling. The way Hero combat handles damage is another huge reason that Hero is my main game system. I like the fact that its very difficult, but still possible to kill someone with a single fist punch. I like the fact that a knife is an actual threat to an unarmored human, no matter his/her "level of experience". I like the fact that Hero actually has rules and guidelines for trauma based on Hit Location. (I recall having to create my own hit location charts for a vast majority of the RPG's I've played) I like the fact that you can K.O. an enemy without killing them, or kill them without knocking them out first. Again, Hero is on the short list of games that can simulate the Hero fighting against overwhelming odds, and dying on his feet surrounded by the corpses of his enemies (Positive Stun, negative Body)
Rolling 3D6. The Bell Curve. It goes a long way toward giving Hero its own unique feel. A lot of gamers new to Hero are put off by this mechanic and the math-impaired among them won't understand the odds behind this specific mechanic, but over the years I've come to the conclusion that the 3D6 bell-curve is perfect for Hero. The chances of getting an "absolute" roll on either end of the spectum is quite low, unlike D10 or D20 mechanics, where your chances of rolling High or Low is the same. This Bell Curve is central to the Hero System skill resolution. It makes a gain of +1 meaningful, where in many RPG's a +1 gain is quite small. In Hero +3 can swing the odds considerably, where in a game based on D20 it is a mere +15% linear add. For Hero to remain Hero, 3D6 must stay. (its also a hell of a lot easier to find D6 dice than it is to find D20's. Esp if you live in a small community with no comic book stores like where I grew up)
Those are the "core" mechanics as far as I'm concerned. There are a lot of other things about HERO I think should remain the same, but I wouldn't call them core concepts. I just really like Hero the way it is. As I see it, its ultimately flexible now. I can do pretty much what i want with it. Significant changes are likely only to limit/reduce that flexibility and the system would be the lesser for it.
All in my humble opinion of course.
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